1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for picking and transferring semiconductor devices in a test handler, and more particularly, to a picking apparatus for a test handler of semiconductor devices, in which pickers for picking up semiconductor devices are installed in two arrays in one picking apparatus to move them in the up and down directions opposite to each other, so that semiconductor devices as many as two times can be transferred by once transferring process and the semiconductor devices can be transferred at a different pitch.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
As widely known, memory or non-memory semiconductor devices, or modules in which these semiconductor devices are integrated on a single substrate in a circuit design, are produced out after various kinds of test processing. The handler indicates an apparatus for automatically transferring the aforementioned semiconductor devices, modules or the like to a desired process for test.
Generally, the handler transfers semiconductor devices accommodated in a tray to or from a flat-typed shuttle or a buffer-plate. For this purpose, the handler is provided on the upper side of a body thereof with a transferring (or picking) apparatus. The transferring device is linearly moved in X direction or Y direction, and picks up and transfers semiconductor devices to a specific location.
FIGS. 1 to 3 illustrate one example of a conventional picking apparatus for transferring semiconductor devices in the handler.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the conventional picking apparatus for transferring semiconductor devices includes a moving block 101 installed to move along a frame (not shown) horizontally installed on the handler, a vertical block 102 fixedly coupled with the moving block 101, a lifting block 104 fixedly installed to LM Guides 103 which are installed on the both sides of the vertical block 102 in up and down directions, to move up and down, and a picker block 105 coupled with the lifting block 104 and having a plurality of nozzle pickers 105a for adsorbing semiconductor devices by vacuum pressure.
Also, on the rear side of the vertical block 102 is installed a driving means for lifting the lifting block 104. Specifically, a servomotor 111 and a driving pulley 112 driver by the servomotor 111 are installed on the rear upper side of the vertical block 102. On the lower side of the vertical block 102 is installed a transmission pulley 113 which rotate with coupled with the driving pulley 112 by a driving belt 114. At one end of a rotation axis 113a of the driving pulley 113A is installed a lower pulley 115 which rotates by the rotation of the transmission pulley 113. The lower pulley 115 is coupled with an upper pulley 116 by a lifting belt 117.
Also, at one side of the lifting belt 117 is fixedly installed a connecting piece 118 fixed with the lifting block 104.
In the meantime, on the front side of the vertical block 102 is coupled an extension spring 125 of which one end is fixed to the lower side of the moving block 101 and the other end is fixed to the lifting block 104. A pair of limit sensors 122a 122b are provided on the upper center of the vertical block 102, for sensing sensor flags 121a, 121b coupled with the lifting block 104 at the both upper ends thereof. The extension spring 125 provides an elastic force to the lifting block 104 in the opposite direction to the gravity force during the lifting of the lifting block 104 to reduce the weight applied to the servomotor 111.
Therefore, when the driving pulley 112 rotates in the forward direction or backward direction by the operation of the servomotor 111, the driving pulley 112, the transmission pulley 113 connected with the driving pulley 112 by the driving belt 114, and the lower pulley 115 coupled with the transmission pulley rotate, and accordingly, the lifting belt 117 and the upper pulley 116 are interlocked, so that the lifting block 104 connected to the lifting belt 117 by the connecting piece 118 moves up and down.
With the up and down movement of the lifting block 104, the sensor flags 121a, 121b are sensed by the limit sensors 122a, 122b, and the up and down movement amount of the lifting block 104 is transferred to a control unit (not shown) of the handler. The control unit controls the operation of the servomotor according to the signals from the limit sensors 122a, 122b. 
However, the conventional picking apparatus structured as above has a problem in that it cannot be used for a tray or a shuttle arranged to have different pitch or number of semiconductor devices in a single handler because it is structured to pick up or detach semiconductor devices by the picker block 105 having the nozzle pickers 105a arranged at a constant pitch.
For example, a user tray for accommodating semiconductor devices for test, or a customer tray for again accommodating semiconductor devices for output, which are classified as good quality through a test, may be designed to have different pitch between devices in one array or the different number of devices from each other, but any test using the conventional picking apparatus essentially requires that the pitch between devices in one array, or the number of devices in the user tray and the customer tray be always constant.
Additionally, the conventional picking apparatus is constructed such that the weight on the servomotor 111 is reduced by the extension spring 125 while the lifting block 104 and the picker block 105 are raised up, but the extension spring 125 functions as a resistance while the lifting block 104 and the picker block 105 move down to increase the driving force of the servomotor 111.
Moreover, it sometimes occurs that the servomotor 111 temporarily stops and the extension spring 125 is fractured or damaged in some or other reasons while semiconductor devices are picked up by the picker block 105, and in that case, normally, the lifting block 104 moves down by its weight. At this time, if the moving block 101 of the picking apparatus moves in the horizontal direction at the above state, the semiconductor devices picked by the picker block 105 are struck by a part of the handler body and fractured.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a picking apparatus for transferring semiconductor devices in a handler that substantially obviates one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
An object of the present invention is to provide a picking apparatus for transferring semiconductor devices in a handler in which some pairs of pickers for picking up semiconductor devices are provided in a single picking apparatus, the pickers move in the opposite directions from each other to increase the number of the devices to be transferred at one time, and the semiconductor devices in an array of different pitch are transferred at one time.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a picking apparatus for transferring semiconductor devices in a handler in which the semiconductor devices are easily picked up and transferred without burden on the driving elements and the structural elements during the lifting movement of the picker.
Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, there is provided a picking apparatus for transferring semiconductor devices in a test handler. The apparatus is horizontally movably installed on a frame provided on an upper side of a main body of the handler, for picking up the devices from one location of the handler and transferring the devices to another location. The apparatus includes: a moving block movably mounted on the frame; a first vertical block and a second vertical block mounted on both sides of the moving block in a vertical direction to face each other; at least one pair of first guide members and at least one pair of second guide members installed respectively in the first vertical block and the second vertical block in the vertical direction; a first lifting block and a second lifting block respectively coupled to the first guide members and the second guide members at both ends thereof to move up and down; a first picker block and a second picker block having a plurality of pickers for picking and detaching the semiconductor devices, and detachably coupled with the first lifting block and the second lifting block; and driving means for driving the first picker block and the second picker block to move up and down in the opposite directions to each other.
In another aspect of the present invention, the driving means include: a servomotor fixedly installed on one side of the moving block; a driving pulley rotatably coupled with a driving axis of the servomotor; a transmission pulley rotatably installed on the upper side of the first vertical block; a driving belt installed to be wound around the driving pulley and the transmission pulley, for transmitting rotation force of the driving pulley to the transmission pulley; a first upper pulley coupled with one side of the driving pulley to rotate with the driving pulley; a first lower pulley rotatably installed on the lower side of the first vertical block; a first lifting belt being wound around the first upper pulley and a second lower pulley; a connecting shaft fixed to the first upper pulley at one end and located on the upper side of the second vertical block at the other end; a second upper pulley fixed to the other end of the connecting shaft; a second lower pulley rotatably coupled with the lower side of the second vertical block; a second lifting belt wound around the second upper pulley and the second lower pulley; and a first connecting member and a second connecting member, one end of each member being fixed on the first lifting block and the second lifting block, and the other end of each member being fixed on one side of each of the first lifting belt and the second lifting belt.
According to the present invention, since the picking apparatus is constructed such that two picker blocks in one picking apparatus move up and down in the opposite directions to each other, the number of the semiconductor devices transferred at one time is increased to enhance a test speed, and the transfer of semiconductor devices in array of different pitch and number is possible to allow users more choices in the selection of a tray and a shuttle for testing semiconductor devices and to improve the operation efficiency.
Additionally, since the loads of the lifting block and the picker block, which move up, are compensated by the loads of the lifting block and the picker block, which move down, the burden applied on the servomotor is reduced.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.